Tables and Chairs
by TheWubber
Summary: Shadow was committed to a pshycological hospital (or, "loony bin," as he refers to it) for trying to repair a past relationship his way. Now, when he gets some help being released from Amy, will he be able to handle his new life? (Somewhat Silver Linings based, rated T for violence and attempted suicide.) Also some Knuxikal.
1. Chapter 1

_**Tables and Chairs**_

_**Chap. 1**_

I woke up from a dreamless slumber, still a bit tired. I ignore it and look at the time. It was one forty-six in the morning. I needed more sleep. The summertime always made me exhausted.

I lay my head back on my pillow, my ebony quills staying intact. After trying to count sheep, I figured that I wasn't ready for more sleep.

I picked up a book that I'd picked up from the library earlier that day. It was a romance, one of the first I've read ever.

As I read about the protagonist's problems and solutions, I couldn't help but reflect on my own life. How had it come to this? When was I labeled a disease?

Oh, right. When I tried to fix my relationship with Rouge. It hadn't worked out whatsoever. She had called the cops on me for trying to tie her to a chair so she would listen to me.

Later, when the police questioned me, they told me I had paranoia and a severe case of depression. I didn't quite understand at the time, but it made a bit of sense. I always felt like someone was watching me, and it made me constantly nervous.

Not like it mattered too much. At least, not that much.

Thinking back on how scared I was when they brought me here, I buried my face into my pillow. It was horrible here, in the looney bin. This is where the crazies went, and I was one of them.

The facility itself was nice, but the staff were terrifying. They made me take these weird blue pills and gave me injections. I hate this place, and I want to leave. I've told them before, but they won't listen. They tell me that I need to be here, that I can't leave until I'm given the order that I can go.

I hardly get any visitors. It gets lonely here when people are either too busy with the voices in their heads to talk to you. There was some of my old friends that I had taken for granted that visited me.

For example, Knuckles the Echidna did every Friday. That was our guys' night before I was committed. I can't have alcohol here, but I can have soda. So, that's what we drink. He has Coke, and I have root beer. We talk about things.

Sometimes about Knuckles's kids with Tikal, sometimes about the hospital. Either way, I always ask him to get me out. He always gets frustrated, and tells me that he wishes he could, but he can't. I wish he could too. I can't stand it here.

Sometimes Sonic visits me. We don't say much, and he's never here long. Maybe an hour, half hour at the least. He's told me that the other patients freak him out. I told him that it was okay, and that at least he's still there, unlike his other wimpy friends.

He never said anything else.

The only other person that visits me is Amy Rose. She visits me on Mondays and Wednesdays. I love her visits, but they always make me wonder. I decided to ask her today why she always comes, since it was Monday.

When I was called down, Amy looked quite cute. She only had a light green tank-top on with a pair of jean shorts on, but her quills were out up in pigtails. I blushed a soft, shell pink before entering the visiting room.

We sat down on the two individual chocolate brown chairs that sat next to each other. She looked at me with her jade eyes and I could swear I saw a flicker of sadness flash in them.

"Hey Shadow," she greeted cheerfully. "How're you doing?"

"You know I haven't changed," I said, staring at the wall in front of me and crossing my legs. "I still hate this place and I desperately want to leave. I know that nobody can help me, and I know that I'm less likely to get my court approval than I am to win the lottery."

"Actually, Shadow, I did the paperwork to allow your leave." Amy looked at me carefully. "You have to live with me, and there are rules, but we can discuss those later."

Was I dreaming? "Wait...I can leave the hospital?" This couldn't be true.

"Yes."

I couldn't think. My mind wasn't processing anything correctly. I picked up Amy in one clean swoop a and hugged her tightly.

"I love you!" I shouted, then kissed her.

**_End of Chapter 1_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Tables and Chairs_**

**_Chapter 2_**

I immediately let go of Amy, who fell to her feet, shellshocked. I was afraid she'd hit me, but she did nothing of the sort. She just wiped her mouth and walked off. At first I thought she was going to leave me here for crossing the line, but she turned around and gave me a big, fake smile.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked, waiting for me.

I looked around, then ran towards her. I'm leaving! Finally, I'm leaving! She laughed at my grin, but I couldn't help it. This was the best day of my life! I was so happy, I felt like I could run the 20K race and still have a to of energy left. I hadn't felt like this in a long time, and it was amazing.

Amy grasped my hand for a minute, then let go when we both looked over at each other. I figured that she'd held my hand to get my attention. We stood there, just ten feet from the door. I asked if she was okay.

"What? Oh, I'm fine," Amy said, dismissing any other thoughts. "I was just about to tell you something, but I forgot what it was."

She made a look that told me she was concentrating on something, shrugged, and continued walking. I followed soon after her, and it wasn't long before we were side by side again. I saw a weird look in her eyes that I couldn't quite place, I think it was fear, maybe not. I slipped my fingers through hers and she stopped in her path.

"What?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

She blushed a slight pink. "Oh, nothing. You just surprised me a bit."

"Alright then, let's keep walking."

"Oh, right. Okay, I'm coming."

She moved up half a foot and we continued. We weren't any more than twenty feet away from her car, which was awesome. I didn't have that much luggage, just a back pack, so I wanted to go to my new home quickly.

"Are you sure you don't have any more things packed?" Amy asked. I shook my head. She shrugged. "Alright then."

I grinned as I sat in the passenger seat of her car, which was a simple Honda. I longed for my motorcycle, but I knew it was still at Rouge's, where I used to live. I'd have to get it soon.

"Hey, Amy," I said, staring at the windshield, "do you think you can take me to Rouge's house so I can get my bike back?"

Amy sighed sadly, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you can't go near Rouge until she drops the charges she has against you." She glanced at me. I must have looked shocked, because she said, "It's just one of the rules. There's a few more, too."

"Like what?" I asked calmly, trying not to get angry.

"Like, you can't go on anything to do with social networking, you can't have alcohol for six months..." She suddenly became nervous. "...and you have to live with me. You can't get a house of your own for quite a while."

"And here I thought I was free." I snapped, crossing my arms and shifting my body to face the passenger side window. I didn't really expect Amy to do anything but keep driving.

But, she put a hand on my arm, gently caressing it. Her thumb rubbed against one of my red streaks, and she sighed apologetically.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this," she said quietly. "I know you want a little less restraint, but those were the court's orders." She let go and put her hand back on the wheel.

I didn't say anything, but I looked at her. She must not have seen me, because she was silent and kept her eyes glued to the road. I stared at her for the rest of the trip, which was a half hour long. When we reached her house, there was a generous helping of sweetness trailing through the door, which was open and had a screen door behind it.

"You can go inside. I'll be right behind you." Amy said. I shifted my bag and made my way up the walk.

When I walked inside, it was pitch black. Amy turned the lights on and I saw a love seat along with two other chairs. They reminded me of the visiting room at the loony bin. Amy walked up behind me and sighed.

"Welcome home, Shadow."

**_End of Chapter 2_**


	3. Chapter 3

Tables and Chairs

Chapter 3

I looked around, then back at Amy. Her home was nice and all, but I remembered my rules and felt trapped. How long was I supposed to just stay here? How many years of my life was I supposed to waste with these idiotic rules?

A little more aggravated than I should have been, I walked over to the couches and flopped onto one of them.

"These remind me of the LB," I said, trying to hide irritation.

"The...LB?" Amy asked, eventually sitting next to me, but still keeping somewhat of a distance. "What's that?"

"The looney bin. That's where I was, right?" I laughed roughly. "Of course you wouldn't get it."

"Oh."

Amy didn't say anything else. She just looked at me curiously. I thought about what she was thinking, how she was feeling. I wondered why she was sitting next to me, but then figured it must have been because I kissed her. It's not like it really meant anything, though. I loved Rouge, and I was sure that that's how it would always be. I was forever in debt to Amy for saving me.

I looked at the way her face turned red when I glanced at her. She didn't exactly know that I knew she was staring at me. But, it was still a little awkward. There was a long silence between us, and I didn't like it. I hated silence in general, and it was worse this way.

Amy finally broke the silence by asking if I was hungry. I nodded a little, but said that she didn't have to get me anything.

"Shadow, I'm the person taking care of you. I want to get you something if you want it, alright?" She said firmly with a smile. "What would you like?"

I was a little afraid of her, so I just asked for a couple of granola bars. She just smiled and walked into the kitchen. She walked back out with. Two Nature Valley bars and handed them to me. I loved these things, and I wondered how she knew. However, I didn't question. She just knew what I liked and was nice about it.

I realized that Amy has only the best intentions for me, and I was grateful. I brushed off the thought of being sent back to the looney bin and decided to enjoy my time here while I could.

I really wanted my motorcycle back, though. I thought about having Knuckles go get it for me. I asked Amy if I could use her phone. She looked at me, a surprised on her face.

"It's upstairs in the guest room," she answered. "You'll see the bathroom right away. The guest room's right across from that."

"Thanks," I simply said.

I walked upstairs and found the guest room right away. There was a little white home phone on a side table right next to the bed. I figured this was my room, and sat on the bed. I grabbed the phone and dialed the number to Knuckles's cell. I still remembered it and hoped he hadn't changed it. He answered right away.

"Hello, Echidna residence. Who's this?" A voice a recognized as Tikal's answered.

"It's Shadow," I said. "Can I talk to Knuckles, please?"

"Oh, he's working on his car," she said sweetly. I always liked talking to Tikal. Her happiness wasn't fake, it was genuine and was great to be around. "Hold on."

I waited for around a minute when I heard Knuckles's voice. "Hey, Shad. I heard Amy got ya out. How's freedom?"

I smiled and answered, "Considering I can't have a beer for another six months and can't use Facebook anymore...it's pretty good." I joked. Knuckles laughed on the other end.

"Hey, you wanna come over?" He asked. "I could really use some help with this thing, and I know how you are with cars. Nearly better than Tails."

Teasingly, I asked, "Why not ask him then?"

"You kiddin'? That kid doesn't know half the things grown men like us talk about."

We both laughed, chatted a bit more, then I agreed to come over. I figured that I could just ask him about my bike when I got there. I walked back downstairs and told Amy where I was going. She said that she'd drive me there and I agreed.

I did so for two reasons.

1) If I told her that I could get there myself, she'd think that I was lying when I had nothing to hide. Possibilities of being sent back were increased.

2) I didn't mind Amy's help, and thought it was nice of her to offer it. That, I was a little scared of her when she got overly determined.

So, we loaded into her Honda and had some conversation on the way there. We even laughed a bit. I was enjoying my time back more and more.

When I was dropped off at Knuckles's house, I was so happy, I didn't expect to see what I did.

End of Chapter 3


End file.
